In all urban centers time and space are paramount to
economic activity. Many people think of the formally employed as the ones who
have 'proper working hours'. In contrast, many believe that persons employed in
the informal sector have haphazard working hours. However, this is not so. This
is because a city can be compared to a song. It has rhythm, it has a beat. In
order to achieve economic success persons (even those who engage in illegal
activities) ensure that they 'dance to the beat' of their city.
In the Caribbean, many employees who have administrative functions
are expected to work from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm from Monday to Friday. These
persons include secretaries and receptionists and senior staff members in
government offices and private enterprises. Accordingly, by 4:00pm most
offices in the private and public sector are closed to the public and by 5:00pm
daily operations come to an end.
In Small Island Developing States (SIDs) like
St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis the cessation of informal
activities occurs in tandem with the cessation of formal activities. In Port of Spain, there is a in activity in both the
formal and informal sectors by 5:00pm. However when compared to other Caribbean
islands, there is significant economic activity in the city after 5:00pm. In
fact in some places like Independence Square, the activity increases on a
Friday evening when persons 'stop to take a lime' after work.
 |
| Photograph of A Vendor On Charlotte Street Who Sells Produce Both in the Day and Night on This Street (Photo Taken By Sybastian Manners, March 5, 2015) |
The picture above shows a vendor who can be found in this location
up to 7:00pm in the evening. At night, vendors can also be found at the Queen's Park Savannah located at at the eastern end of Port of Spain. A photo of these vendors can be viewed using the link below.
Unlike vendors in smaller Caribbean islands, these vendors are
able to sell at these hours due to spatial advantages. In our post entitled
"Urban Sprawl...A Source of Informal Employment" we discussed the
spatial evolution of Port-of-Spain over time. This city has not only expanded,
but it has been revitalised in some areas. This is more pronounced on the western
side of the city. Like many cities, Port-of-Spain went through a decline in
population as many persons moved away from the city to live in the suburbs.
Burgess’ described this movement as “the filtering outwards” of
the population in his foundational concentric zone model of urban development (Dear
and Flusty 1998). Due to the degenerating conditions of urban infrastructure
and amenities along with the increased congestion of space, city dwellers
aspire to migrate to more favorable location which initially maybe suburban
areas which offer better environmental quality and aesthetics shadowed only by
the commute to the city center each day to their jobs and maneuvering “Port of
Spain Traffic”. However, housing mobility of this nature is almost entirely facilitated
by increases in disposable income, which allow individual to compete for the
new and enhanced supply of housing on the urban edge.
Figure : Showing Burgess Concentric Zone Model (Kissoon 2015)
However, spatial and structural advancements has led to a
revitalisation of the city. while many persons have not moved back into the
city, the city has a significant transient population, 350,000 (Office of Disaster Management. n.d). This is
because a significant number of socialise in the city both in the day and the
night. Moreover, these persons
patronise vendors along the streets.
While we believe that Port-of-Spain is being revitalised, an
individual who grew up in Port-of-Spain has different views. This man is
Mr. Ernest Ferreira,
a renowned pan enthusiast. His story can be read in the newspaper article
below.
Reference
Dear,
M. and Flusty, S. 1998. “Association of American Geographer: Post Modernism”
Contact 1 (88): 50 – 72)
Dixon, Bobie-lee. 2014. “Expelled panman’s happy days in town” The Guardian, July 17, 2014. Accessed
April 8, 2015. http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2014-07-17/expelled-panman%E2%80%99s-happy-days-town
Kissoon.
2015. “Urban Form and Structure.” Lecture presented at The University of the
West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, January 30, 2015.
Office of Disaster Management. n.d. "Executive Summary." Accessed February 21, 2015.
http://www.odpm.gov.tt/sites/default/files/Excutive%20Summary.pdf
Trip Advisor. n.d. "Queen's Park Savannah Photo: Vendors of the Savannah At night."Accessed April 4, 2015. http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g147389-d150209-i87258170-Queen_s_Park_Savannah-Port_of_Spain_Trinidad_Trinidad_and_Tobago.html
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